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Commentary on "Paul's Authority and Gospel"
Day 2: Sunday, October 2, 2011 - Paul, the Letter Writer
Overview
Today’s lesson opens with Peter’s reference to Paul’s writings as Scripture:
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15-16 ESV)
The lesson then discusses Paul’s epistles, their purpose and style. The comments state that Peter’s words show “how much authority [Paul’s] ministry eventually gained early on in the history of the church.” It concludes by stating that Paul’s letters followed the style of his day used for personal letters and asks, “If the Bible were to be written today, what kind of medium, format, and style do you thnk the Lord would use to reach us now?”
Observations
Once again, in a set of lessons which purports to be studying Galatians, this lesson represents another one in which Galatians is not studied. Instead, the commentary attempts to help the reader to think of Paul as a letter-writer, a common role with which everyone can relate.
The lesson states, “…at some point Paul’s writings were viewed as Scripture.”
Instead of addressing Paul’s acknowledgement of his apostolic call, which he addresses in verse 1 of Galatians 1, the lesson moves quickly past Peter’s assertion that Paul is Scripture (although difficult to understand) and focusses on his work of letter writing. Yet Galatians 1:1-5 says,
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul was called to be an apostle by the Lord Jesus, and his “inspiration” and calling were never in doubt. He saw the risen Christ and was commissioned to explain the New Covenant (Eph. 3:9) to everyone, as well as to carry the gospel to the gentiles.
The Teachers Comments on page 25 say this: “Paul had never met Jesus in the flesh; even he admitted this. Thus, like it or not, he could not be viewed in the same way as, say, Peter.”
This assertion is misleading at best and downright false at its worst. Paul was not a follower of Jesus during His earthly ministry, it is true, but He was nonetheless personally called and was privy to personally meeting the risen Christ.
First, it is not clear what the lesson’s author means when he says Paul did not meet Jesus “in the flesh”. If he refers to the pre-resurrection incarnation, when Jesus was still inhabiting a mortal body, it is true that Paul did not personally follow Jesus. Nevertheless, Paul did meet Jesus in His resurrection body. We know Jesus’ resurrection body is a human body, albeit immortal, because Jesus said,
“Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luke 24:38-39 ESV)
Jesus’ resurrection body is a glorified human body that has “flesh and bones” and which eats and functions in the physical world.
We know that Paul met Jesus—after His resurrection, but still in His glorified body—because we read:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:3-9 ESV)
The risen Christ appeared to Paul and commissioned him to be His apostle to the gentiles. To say that Paul did not meet Jesus in the flesh is to completely ignore Scripture. To suggest he cannot be considered to be in the same category as Peter is also to misunderstand Scripture. Paul’s writings ARE Scripture, and he saw the risen Christ personally and was taught by Him.
Finally the question of what kind of medium the Lord would use if Scripture was being written today is nothing at all but pure speculation. This question has no relevance to reality nor significance in terms of understanding God’s word or growing in Christ. Such a question is a diversion.
God gave His word exactly as He wanted it delivered. Speculating on His methods if He were to give it today is frankly ridiculous. It is an intellectual exercise that eclipses the actual words of Scripture which are God’s personal revelation of His will and His person.
Scripture IS, and no amount of speculating will ever yield any helpful insights.
Summary
- Paul was a true apostle. He saw the risen Christ and received His commission.
- The risen Christ does, indeed, have flesh and bones.
- Paul saw the risen Christ.
Copyright 2011 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised October 1, 2011. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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